New Orleans, La. - The attorney for a New Orleans police officer just fired says he will vigorously appeal her dismissal.
He says Keyalah Bell should be re-instated despite last year's arrest for DWI and hit and run.
In May of 2011, Bell was off duty and in her personal vehicle when she allegedly hit a parked car behind Lakewood Country Club in Algiers, then drove about a block before the car's owner caught up with her.
She was suspended for 16 days, then returned to work in the 4th District.
The case never went to trial. The city attorney's office decided not to prosecute and charges were dropped.
Bell's attorney Kevin Boshea says the police department usually uses a conviction as a basis for dismissal, but not this time.
"My frustration is that she wasn't convicted of any traffic violation. She wasn't convicted of DWI, yet she's been terminated and I have a bit of a problem with that,"said Boshea.
According to Bell's dismissal letter, she was fired for violating NOPD rules. Specifically, having to do with adherence to law and excessive use of alcohol off duty.
Boshea says the department didn't take into account her role in the Henry Glover Case.
Bell was the first officer on the scene of Glover's shooting back in 2005 and eventually testified for the prosecution at the trial of fellow officers.
